Stacking and nesting container



June 10, 1952 H T 2,599,727

STACKING AND NESTING CONTAINER Filed June 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORL Frederick W. dc/zmz'dz A z z orne y June 10, 1952 F. w.SCHMIDT v STACKING AND NESTfNG CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25,1951 INVENTOR. Frederic/1 W, Schmio/Z A t torrzey F. W. SCHMIDT STACKINGAND NESTING CONTAINER June 10, 1952 5 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed June 25, 1951Patented June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE srlioxmc ANDCONTAINER Frederick W. Schmidt, Olympia, Wash assignor to TrusteesTumwater Square, Olympia, Wash,

a trusteeship Application June 2-5, 1951, Serial No. 233,374

15 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to unitary, open top containers, and,while not necessarily limited thereto, the containers of the inventionare particularly useful in connection with the handling of fresh fruitand vegetables.

In certain instances, such as in the fresh fruit and vegetableindustries, open top containers commonly referred to as lug boxes areused for handling and transporting the produce from the field to thepacking plant,cannery, or storage warehouse. While rectangular woodenboxes are generally used, these have many disadvantages such as shortlife, unsanitariness, high maintenance cost, incapability of beingnested when empty for storage or transportation, and awkwardness ofcarrying or handling.

It is a general object of the present invention, therefore, to provide anew and improved open top container which is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, which is durable, easy to clean and keep sanitary, which icapable of being nested, thereby reducing the space required for storageor transportation when empty or which, when filled, may be stackedone'upo-n another without injury to contents.-

It has been proposed heretofore to form lug boxes of metal so designedwith tapering side walls whereby they may be nested onewithin am otherwhen empty or be stacked, when filled, by placing one crosswiseuponanother. Such metal containers as have been-proposedheretofore have beenrelatively costly to manufacture and have had a multiplicity of sharpcorners and crevasses making it difficult, if not-impossiblato keep themclean. For facilitating handling, such'containers as have been providedheretofore have been formed with out out hand holes leaving sharp, raw,metal edges, the use of which is furthermore interfered with by theproduce contained within the box. Where theboxisused for produce ofrelatively small size, the handopenings more or less limit the depth towhich the box may be filled; In other instances, handle units have beenhingedly or otherwise fastened to the outer end wall of the container,but such handle not only sharply increase the cost ofthe container butgenerally interfere withthe nesting of" the boxes when empty andaresubject to damage or breakage.

It is a further object-of the present invention,- therefore,.to providean open top container of the class described which is so shaped as toprovide a hand engageable ledge completely around'the top thereof, whichiscomfortable to grasp, does not interfere with the completefillinglofthe container, does not entail any additional expense of manufacture,and which facilitates rather than interferes with the nesting of theempty containers.

In metal lug boxes as have been proposed heretofore, various means havebeen provided for facilitating the stacking of the boxes when filledwith produce. Such means have sometimes taken the form of foldingbracket elements secured to the upper edge of the container, but suchelements have the disadvantages of high cost, awkwardness of operation,and interference with nesting. In other instances, it ha been proposedto form grooves or shoulders in the bottom wall of the container whichwill engage over the upper edge of a lower container. Theprovision ofsuch means in the bottom wall of the container forms crevasses or sharpcorners Within the interior of the container within which small piecesof produce may accumulate and rot creating an unsanitary conditiondifiicult, if not impossible, to correct. Then, too, the irregularitiesthus formed in the lower surface of the container interfere with thepassage of filled containers o'ver conveyor rollers commonly used inpacking plants.

It is'a still further object of the present invention', therefore, toprovide a lug box of the type described having a substantially fiatbottom wall with no crevasses or sharpcorners within the interior of thecontainer yet so designed that superposed boxes are securely interlockedand no shifting in relation to one another can take place when aplurality of similar boxes are stacked one upon another.

Again, open top containers of the class described such as have beenproposed heretofore have required the provision of stiffening elementsin the upper edge thereof usually in the form" of a heavy iron wire, rodor bar inclosed within a rolled or folded hem. Such stiffening meansadds appreciably to the cost of manufacture and to theweig'ht of thefinished product.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an opentop container or lug box of the type described having a newand. improvedarrangement for stiffening the upper ends of the side and end walls, thestiffeningarrange ment further serving to define hand engageableledges'or handles and also forming a means for facilitating the stackingof the boxes one upon another when filled.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, thclug box of the presentinvention is adapted to be formed by extrusion from a metal sheet andthus formed in a single piece. The box is of generally rectangularconfiguration having greater length than width and having a bottom walland outwardly flaring side and end walls. The upper edges of the sideand end walls are bent outwardly around the entire circumference of thebox forming a horizontal ledge. The outer edge of the ledge is bentupwardly to form an upstanding flange, the uppermost edge portion ofwhich is hemmed over on the outer side. The horizontal ledge extendingaround the top of the container defines a hand engageable portion orhandle by means of which the container may conveniently and comfortablybe handled when filled. In one embodiment the central portion of theledge at the top of each of the opposite side walls is somewhat widerthan the remainder of the horizontal ledge so that the width between theflanges on the opposite sides of the box corresponds substantially tothe over-ah length of the bottom of the container whereby a plurality ofsimilar containers may be stacked crosswise one upon another. Thecombined ledge and hemmed flange form a stiffening section around thetop of the container, having great rigidity and strength permitting thecontainer to withstand rough handling and also enablin the lowermost ofa plurality of filled, stacked containers adequately to withstand thesuperposed burden. All of the internal corners of the container arerounded whereby it may readily be kept clean and sanitary, while thebottom wall is furthermore flat to facilitate smooth travel of thecontainer over roller conveyors.

For a consideration of what is believed novel and inventive, theattention is directed to the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing while the features of novelty are morespecifically set forth in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a View in perspective illustrating acontainer constructed in accordance with one form of the presentinvention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a fragmentary detail view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 isa fragmentary detail view taken along line i l of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is anend view illustrating a plurality of containers in the nested condition;Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5;Fig. 7 is a side elevation illustrating a plurality of containers in astacked condition; Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section view takenalong the line 88 of Fig. '7; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail viewillustrating a further modification of the invention; and Fig. 10 is afragmentary view illustrating a still further modification of theinvention.

Fig. 11 is a view in perspective of a modified form of a containerconstructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 12 is a viewin perspective of a stack of containers such as illustrated in Fig. 11;Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary detail taken along line A-A of Fig.12; and Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary detail taken along line BB ofFig. 13.

Referring now to the drawings, a lug box of the present invention is ofgenerally rectangular shape and of greater length than width asillustrated more clearly in the plan view of Fig. 2. The box has abottom wall I I and outwardly flaring opposite side walls l2 andoutwardly flaring opposite end walls I3. The lower corners between thebottom H and the walls 12 and I3 are preferably rounded as are thecorners between the side walls I2 and end walls 13.

The lug box is preferably formed by stamping or extrusion from sheetmetal, such as aluminum, and whereby the entire container mayexpeditiously be formed substantially completely in a single operation.

An outwardly extending horizontal ledge is formed around the upper endof the container, the ledge at the upper end of the opposite side walls12 and opposite end walls 13 being indicated at l5 and I6, respectively.The ledge portions 15 and I6 merge with each other around the roundedcorners at'the juncture of the upright walls. While the ledge portionsl5 and 16 may be of the same width around the top of the container, itis preferred, for reasons to be pointed out more fully hereafter, tomake the ledge portions l6 somewhat narrower than the ledge portions 15.

The outermost edge of the ledge portions l5 and I6 is bent upwardly andflared slightly inwardly of the container to form an upright flange I8extending continuously and entirely around the top of the container andspaced outwardly from the wall of the container next adjacent thereto bythe width of the ledge portions therebetween. The upper edge of theflange i8 is hemmed over outwardly upon itself as indicated at l9whereby a rounded, smooth, upper edge is formed at the top of theflange. The central portion of the horizontal ledges l5 formed at thetop of each of the opposite side walls [2 is of a greater width than theremainder of the ledge as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, The width of thecentral portions of the ledges i5 is such that the distance between theupright flanges I8 at the outer edges of the ledge portions 15corresponds substantially to the over-all outside length of the bottomwall of the container whereby the bottom of a similarly constructedcontainer may be inserted between the opposite flange portions 18 andpositioned upon the ledge portions [5. The bottom of such a superposedcontainer is shown by dotted lines 22 in Fig. 2. The length of therelatively wide central ledge portion [5 corresponds substantially tothe over-all outside width of the bottom of the container. The widenedportion of the ledge I5 is furthermore symmetrically centered on each ofthe opposite sides of the container and the opposite ends thereof areangularly tapered toward the corner adjacent thereto as indicated at 23.The portions of the upright flange H3 at the inwardly tapered ends 23act as stops for preventing shifting of the upper containerlongitudinally of the lower container while the intermediate flangeportions H! at the outer edge of the widened ledge portions I5 act asstops preventing shifting of the upper container transversely of thelower one supporting the same.

In the stacked condition of a plurality of similar containers as shownin Fig. '7, each container is positioned transversely with respect tothe next lower one. As described above, the bottom of each containerseats upon the horizontal ledge portions l5 of the next lower containerwhile shifting movement both laterally and longitudinally of the lowercontainer is restricted by the upstanding flange portions 18 and 23.Since the flanges l8 abut the upper container along the en? tire lengthof its end walls, the superposed container is prevented from rotating toa position wherein the ledges l5 no longer support the superposedcontainer; instead the superposed container is held in a positionwherein it is supported on ledges l 5 and the position can only bechanged by elevating the superposed container so that the bottom wall isclear of flanges l8. Spaces as indicated in 25 exist at each of theopposite ends of each of the stacked containers whereby circulation ofair is permitted for the produce contained therein.

As illustrated in Figs. and 6, the containers of the present inventionmay be compactly nested one within another by assembly of the respectivecontainers in cooperative longitudinal alignment. With particularreference to Fig. 6, it will be observed that each of the containers issupported by engagement of the upper edge of the flange I8 against thelower surface of the horizontal ledge portion of the uppercontainer-intermediate its inner and outer edges. Due to substantiallysquare engagement of the edge of the flange l8 with the bottom of theledge around the entire circumference of the containers, the entry ofdust or other foreign matter between the adjacent nested containers issubstantially precluded. Due to the height of the flanges I8, thecontainers are precluded from bottoming within each other so that aclearance exists not only between adjacent bottoms of nested containersbut also between adjacent walls. Sticking together of the nestedcontainers is thus precluded and ready separation is furthermorefacilitated due to the existence of well pronounced ribs between eachadjacent pair of the nested con tainers defined by the corners betweenthe upright flanges and the horizontal ledges which protrude beyond theupper edge of the lower container as indicated at 26 in Fig. 6. This isaccomplished by the relatively slight inward flare of the upstandingflange l8. It will be obvious that, if the flanges It wereperpendicular, the ribs 26 would be less pronounced rendering morediincult the separation of the nested containers. Then, too, if a heavypressure were exerted upon the nested containers, an upper one might bedriven down past the flange l8 of the next lower one and which couldthen be separated only by tools.

For facilitating manual handling of the filled containers, therelatively wide. horizontal ledge portions l5 at the top of the oppositeside walls l2 provide comfortable, relatively wide, gripping surfaces.While the horizontal ledge portions l6 are somewhat narrower at the topof the opposite end walls l3, they are still wide enough to provide areasonably good gripping handle for the container at such points also.In fact, since the ledge extends entirely around the top of thecontainer, it may be picked up by grasping the same at any pair ofoppositely disposed points including the corners.

It will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art that thecombination of the horizontal ledge and the upright hemmed flange l8extending continuously around the top of the container form a stiffeningsection which is mechanically strong and resistant to deformation byforces applied in any direction to the top of the container. This isparticularly true since the horizontal ledge and upright flange extendaround the rounded corners with substantially the same horizontal andvertical dimensions as along the top of the opposite end walls l3.Attention is also directed to the fact that the bottom wall of thepresent container is flat throughout its entire extent so that it mayreadily travel along roller conveyors as are in common usage incanneries and other packing plants. Furthermore, no sharp corners. or.crevasses exist, within the interior of the container within whichparticles of produce might accumulate and rot. The containers mayreadily be cleansed after each usage and thoroughly sterilized for theelimination of any bacteria or spore which, if allowed to remain, mightresult in contamination and spoilage of contents upon subsequent usage.

As previously described, the side and bottom walls of the container aresmooth and imperforate. It will be obvious that, if desired for anyreason, either the upright walls or bottom, or both, may be corrugatedfor imparting additional rigidity as shown in Fig. 9. Such corrugations30 may be formed simultaneously with the extrusion of the container.Also either the side walls or the bottom walls, or both, may be providedwith perforations 3! in the event that it is desirable to spray theproduce with water for cooling or washing or to permit of greater aircirculation through the contents.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 11-14, aseries of corrugations 40 are shown formed in ledge [5 withcomplementary corrugations 4! shown formed on the bottom of thecontainer adjacent end walls l3. As illustrated in Figs. 12-14, thecorrugations 40 and 4! form an interlocking joint between the containerswhen the containers are stacked and prevent a superposed container fromshifting in position along ledge l5 of the next lower container uponwhich it rests. It is apparent that in this form of the invention flangel8 need not be tapered inwardly at 23 as illustrated in Fig. 2 torestrain shifting of a superposed container longitudinally of the lowercontainer, but may be formed in a straight length from corner to cornerof the container as may be observed in Fig. 11. Obviously cooperativeengaging means other than the illustrated corrugations 40 and ll may beformed at the respective surface to prevent longitudinal shifting ofsuperposed containers.

A further advantage resulting from the formation of the containers ofthe present invention by extrusion lies in the fact that used containerswhich have become dented or otherwise deformed may be readilyreconditioned and reformed simply by passing them again through theformmg machine. When thus reshaped, the containers are restored at aminimum of expense to a condition substantially as good as new.

It will be apparent that the lug boxes of the present invention areparticularly well adapted for application of lids in such instanceswhere it may be desirable to protect the contents from dust or againstcontamination by other foreign matter as during storage. Referring toFig. 10, a lid 35 is shown with the outer edge portion resting upon theledge portion It. The lid 35 is preferably of a relatively flexiblenature and may be made of any suitable material such as cardboard orsheet metal. The lid is entirely flat with rounded corners so as to fitcooperatively upon the ledge portions I5 and it around the top of thecontainer. The lid may be slightly longer than the length between theupper edge portions of the upstanding flanges is at the opposite ends ofthe box. Because of the inward taper of the flanges l8, the lid may beinserted in position by placing one end thereof on the ledge 16 at oneend of the box and then by pressure forcing the opposite end of the lidpast the overhanging edge portion of the flange l8. Oneor more fingeropenings 35 may be provided in the lid 35 for. facilitating the removalthere.-

of and which can readily be accomplished by springing the lid slightlyupwardy in the center. The lid 35 will not interfere with the stackingof the boxes in the manner shown in Fig. 8; but, of course, it must beremoved to permit nesting of the boxes as shown in Figs. and 6. a

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial Number780,962 filed October 20, 1947, now abandoned.

I claim:

1. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, the corners between said side and end wallsbeing rounded, a horizontal ledge formed on the upper ends of all ofsaid walls extending outwardly therefrom continuously around the top ofsaid container, an upwardly extending flange formed on the outer edge ofsaid ledge and extending continuously around the top of said container,said flange being spaced from the adjacent container wall by the widthof the ledge extending therebetween, the width of said ledge at theupper end of said side walls being wider than at the upper end of saidend walls whereby the spacing between said flange on the opposite sidewalls corresponds substantially to the over-all length of said bottomwall.

2. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end Wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, the corners between said side and end wallsbeing rounded, a horizontal ledge formed on the upper ends of all ofsaid walls extending outwardly therefrom continuously around the top ofsaid container, an upwardly extending flange formed on the outer edge ofsaid ledge and extending continuously around the top of said container,said flange being spaced from the adjacent container wall by the widthof the ledge extending therebetween, the width of said ledge at theupper end of said side walls being wider than at the upper end of saidend walls whereby the spacing 1 between said flange on the opposite sidewalls corresponds substantially to the over-all length of said bottomwall, said flange being inclined slightly inwardly from said outer edgeof said horizontal ledge whereby the upper edge of said flange willengage with the lower surface of the horizontal ledge of a similarcontainer nested therewithin.

3. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, the corners between said side and end wallsbeing rounded, a horizontal ledge formed on the upper ends of all ofsaid walls including said rounded corner portions and extendingoutwardly therefrom continuously around the upper portion of saidcontainer, a flange extending upwardly from the outer edge of said ledgecontinuously around the top of said container, said flange beinginclined slightly inwardly from said outer edge of said horizontal ledgeof said container, a portion of said ledge at the upper end of each ofsaid opposite side walls having a greater width than the remainder ofsaid ledge whereby the distance between the flanges on said portions issubstantially equal to the over-all outside length of said bottom wall,the length of said ledge portions corresponding substantially to theoverall outside width of said bottom wall, said ledge portions beingcentrally symmetrical with re spect to said side walls.

4. An open top container of generally rectan gular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom Wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, with corners between said side and endWalls being rounded, a horizontal ledge formed on the upper ends of allof said walls including said rounded corner portions extendingcontinuously around the upper portion of said container, a hemmed flangeinclined slightly inward with respect to the horizontal ledge andextending upwardly from the outer edge of said ledge continuously aroundthe top of said container, the central portion of said ledge on each ofsaid opposite side walls being of greater width than the remainder ofsaid ledge, the length of said ledge portions correspondingsubstantially to the over-all outside width of said bottom wall, thedistance between said flange at the outer edge of said ledge portionsacross the top of the container corresponding substantially to theover-all outside length of said bottom wall.

5. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, the corners between said side and end wallsbeing rounded, a horizontal ledge formed on the upper ends of all ofsaid walls extending outwardly therefrom continuously around the top ofsaid container, an upwardly extending flange formed on the outer edge ofsaid ledge and extending continuously around the top of said container,said flange being spaced from the adjacent container wall by the widthof the ledge extending therebetween, the width of said ledge at theupper end of said side walls being wider than at the upper end of saidend walls whereby the spacing between said flange on the opposite sidewalls corresponds substantially to the over-all length of said bottomwall, engaging means on said ledge and complementary engaging means onthe bottom wall of said container adapted to cooperate with said ledgeengaging means when the containers are placed in a stacked position,whereby the superposed container will be restrained from shifting in anyhorizontal direction in relation to the lower container.

6. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, the corners between said side and end wallsbeing rounded, a horizontal ledge formed on the upper ends of all ofsaid walls extending outwardly therefrom continuously around the top ofsaid container, an upwardly extending flange formed on the outer edge ofsaid ledge and extending continuously around the top of said container,said flange being spaced from the adjacent container wall by the widthof the ledge extending therebetween, the width of said ledge at theupper end of said side walls being wider than at the upper end of saidend walls whereby the spacing between said flange on the opposite sidewalls corresponds substantially to the over-all length of said bottomwall, corrugations over at least a portion of said ledges andcomplementary corrugations on the bottom wall of said container adaptedto cooperate with the corrugations on said ledge when the containers areplaced in a stacked position, whereby the superposed container will berestrained from shifting in any horizontal direction in relation to thelower container.

7. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, said container being adapted when empty tobe nested with a plurality of other similar containers placedcooperatively within one another, or to be stacked one upon another in acrosswise relation of each adjacent pair of superposed containers,upwardly extending stop means integral with the upper ends of saidopposite side walls of said container, said stop means comprisingflange-like members having a substantial dimension in the longitudinaldirection of the container and being spaced outwardly from said sidewalls by such a distance that the distance between the stop means acrossthe top of said container corresponds substantially to the over-alloutside length of said bottom wall, the stop means on the opposite sidewalls being substantially straight and parallel in the longitudinaldirection of the container and adapted to engage the lower portion ofthe end walls of a superposed container stacked thereon, whereby thesuperposed container is restrained from transverse and rotationalmovement in respect to the lower container.

8. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, said container being adapted when empty tobe nested with a plurality of other similar containers placedcooperatively within one another, or to be stacked one upon another in acrosswise relation of each adjacent pair of superposed containers,upwardly extending stop means integral with the upper ends of saidopposite side walls of said container, said stop means comprisingflange-like members having a substantial dimension in the longitudinaldirection of the container and being spaced out- A wardly from said sidewalls by such a distance that the distance between the stop means acrossthe top of said container corresponds substantially to the over-alloutside length of said bottom wall, the stop means on the opposite sidewalls being substantially straight and parallel in the longitudinaldirection and adapted to engage the lower portion of the end walls of asuperposed container stacked thereon, whereby the superposed containeris restrained from transverse and rotational movement in respect to thenext lower container, and engaging means integral with said stop meansfor restraining movement of the superposed container longitudinally ofthe lower container.

9. An open top container as described in claim 8 wherein said engagingmeans comprise symmetrically disposed means adapted to engage with theopposite lower corner portions of a similar superposed container,whereby the superposed container will be held in a substantiallycentered relation with respect to the lower container.

107 An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, said container being adapted when empty tobe nested with a plurality of other similar containers placedcooperatively within one another, or to be stacked one upon another in acrosswise relation of each adjacent pair of superposed containers,upwardly extending stop means integral with the upper ends of saidopposite side walls of said container, said stop means comprisingflange-like members having a substantial dimension in the longitudinaldirection of the container and being spaced outwardly from said sidewalls by such a distance that the distance between the stop means acrossthe top of said container corresponds substantially to the over-alloutside length of said bottom wall, the stop means on the opposite sidewalls being substantially straight and parallel in the longitudinaldirection over a length substantially equal to the width of said bottomwall, and said stop means being curved inwardly at the ends of saidstraight portion, whereby a superposed container will be held in apredetermined position in respect to the lower container.

11. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, upwardly extending stop means integral withthe upper ends of said walls and spaced outwardly therefrom, said stopmeans comprising flange-like members having a substantial dimension inthe longitudinal direction of the container, the distance between thestop means on the said opposite side walls corresponding substantiallyto the over-all length of said bottom wall, said stop means on theopposite side walls being substantially straight and parallel in thelongitudinal direction over a length substantially equal to the width ofsaid bottom wall, said parallel length being substantially centered withrespect to the corresponding side walls, the opposite end portions ofsaid stop means being curved inwardly and adapted to engage the oppositelower corner portions of a superposed container, whereby said superposedcontainer will be restricted from movement in any horizontal directionwith respect to the lower container.

12. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than. width and having a bottom Wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, a continuous outwardly extending ledge onthe upper ends of said walls, a continuous upwardly extending flangeformed on the outer edge of said ledge, the flanges on the opposite sidewalls being substantially straight and parallel to each other in thelongitudinal direction, the width of said ledge on the opposite sidewalls over at least a length corresponding to the width of the bottomwall being such that the distance between the flanges on the oppositeside walls corresponds substantially to the over-all outside length ofsaid bottom wall, whereby a superposed container is restrained fromtransverse and rotational movement in respect to the lower container.

13. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, a continuous outwardly extending ledge onthe upper ends of said walls, a continuous upwardly extending flangeformed on the outer edge of said ledge, the flanges on the opposite sidewalls being substantially straight and parallel to each other in thelongitudinal direction, the width of said ledges on the opposite sidewalls over a length correspending to the width of the bottom Wall beingsuch that the distance between the flanges on the opposite side wallscorresponds substantially to the over-all outside length of said bottomwall, the opposite end portions of said ledge on said side wallstapering inwardly, whereby said flanges will engage the corner of asuperposed container placed in a stacked position, and the superposedcontainer restrained thereby from shifting in any horizontal directionwith respect to the lower container.

14. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and of greaterlength than width and having a bottom Wall with side and end wallsflaring outwardly therefrom, a continuous outwardly extending ledge onthe upper ends of said walls, a continuous upwardly extending flangeformed on the outer edge of said ledge, the flanges on the opposite sidewalls being substantially straight and parallel to each other in thelongitudinal direction, the width of said ledge on the opposite sidewalls over at least a length corresponding to the width of the bottomwall being such that the distance between the flanges on the oppositeside walls corresponds substantially to the over-all outside length ofsaid bottom wall, engaging means on said ledge, and complementaryengaging means on the bottom wall of said container adapted to cooperatewith said ledge engaging means when the containers are placed in astacked position, whereby the superposed container will be restrainedfrom shifting in any horizontal direction in relation to the lowercontainer.

12 15. An open top container of generally rectangular shape and ofgreaterlength than width and having a bottom wall with side and endwalls flaring'outwardly therefrom, a continuous out-- wardly extendingledge on the upper ends of said walls, a continuous upwardly extendingflange formed on the outer edge of said ledge, the flanges on theopposite side walls being substantially straight and parallel to eachother in the longitudinal direction, the width of said ledge on theopposite side walls over at least a length corresponding to the width ofthe bottom wall being such that .the distance between the flanges on theopposite side walls corresponds substantially FREDERICK W. SCHMIDT.

No references cited.

